Phillip Hall, Brooks Malberg, Shelby Etcheson and Peter Hall. Courtesy: Davin Lindwall
Senior film majors Phillip and Peter Hall have raised $10,810 to produce their senior capstone project, a short film titled, “The Lost Dutchman.” Using crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, the brothers raised enough money to follow through with their ambitious plan: to shoot a film in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona.
The Halls first began developing the story in January 2013, inspired while hiking near home in Mesa, Ariz. Dec. 28, 2013, they reached their pledged Kickstarter goal of $10,000, just one day before their deadline.
Phillip and Peter Hall’s film is based on a legend the two grew up with, “The Lost Dutchman.” Based off real-life people, main characters Jacob Waltz and Jacob Weiser approach the Superstition Mountains in hopes of finding gold, but learn incredible lessons on the way.
Although there are many versions of the legend, the brothers have decided to pull from history and local accounts as well as their own imaginations. They have co-written the screenplay and will start filming next month.
“One of the things I really liked about the Hall brothers was in terms of script, they were really responsive and actually willing to listen,” said Dr. Warren Koch, a film professor. “You need to have that passion and it needs to be your story, but at the same time, you have to be willing to be flexible, to flesh it out in different ways so it becomes universal.”
The brothers have a number of people supporting them in addition to Koch, such as their co-producers, senior film majors Brooks Malberg and Shelby Etcheson.
“To be honest, producing is all about problems and solving them,” Malberg said. “That’s part of why I love it, though. You’ve got to make something work that often times seems impossible. One of the biggest challenges with student filmmaking is trying to make a high-quality film with basically no money.”
Koch has served primarily as an adviser for the entire project, meeting with the team to check progress and help problem solve.
“He’s a resource, but he’s very hands-off in a lot of ways,” Phillip said. “The film program is structured to where by the time you get to your thesis film, capstone, you should be able to pretty much do this on your own.”
The production crew and actors will film on location in Arizona from Feb. 7-16. “The Lost Dutchman” will premiere April 29 at the Film Premiere night, hosted by APU’s Theater Film & Television Department in Hollywood.
The premiere will be open to anyone who wants to buy a ticket and will feature all films put together by the upperclassmen in the last academic year. Many industry contacts will be invited to view the films, creating a chance for exposure to film professionals.
All of the members of the production crew, except for Director of Photography Andrew Ceperly, are currently studying at APU. Professional actors will make up the cast.
“This is a great crew,” Etcheson said. “We’re all friends, but we’re also great collaborators.”
According to the brothers, filming logistics have presented a challenge because the film takes place out of state, in the wilderness and is a period piece. However, the Halls said Malberg and Etcheson have been instrumental in film scheduling, budget breakdowns, securing shooting locations, casting, hiring the crew, transportation to Arizona, acquiring funds, providing food, housing and much more.
“They take their jobs so seriously in a beautiful way,” Peter Hall said. “They are 110 percent all the time. They’ve done an amazing job of helping Phil and I make the film we want to make, and that’s a beautiful thing. The relationship between a director and a producer is so vital.”
The brothers have been drawn to film from a young age, and even participated in theater productions. Both said they were led to APU’s film department because it is still early in its development and growing every year.
“As students here now, we are kind of writing the traditions and the rules of what this department is going to be,” Peter said. “It’s amazing to think that something I do now could set a precedent, could make an impact for this entire program that could be felt 50 years from now.”
The Halls said they are dedicated to making films after graduation, even if the road is not an easy one. Inspired by well-known director Christopher Nolan, the brothers are willing to start by filming on the weekends with some friends just as he did.
“If you’re a passionate, creative artist, you’ll keep doing it no matter what,” Phillip Hall said. “If you say that film is what you’re passionate about, then it will happen. You’ll make it happen.”
Peter and Phillip Hall plan to submit “The Lost Dutchman” for as many film festivals as possible during the 2014 submission period, hoping it will be chosen for potential screening in 2015.
For more information about “The Lost Dutchman,” check out www.lostdutchmanfilm.com.